Tuesday, 23 October 2012

Last week I did a post on my skincare challenege with Soap & Glory and I have a bit of an update!

I can be a little impulsive sometimes when I buy things, so it was only after I did the 3 for 2 at Boots with Soap and Glory.........I remembered I wanted to try the Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish as well some Origins products, whoops!!!

I have liked the Soap and Glory so far, and when I compared their hot cloth cleanser to the Liz Earle sample........Liz Earle smacked it down as it did remove more make up........LOL!

In addition to this, I managed to bag a Clarisonic on Ebay for £50 which I thought was a bargin! So I should also be getting that in the next couple of days. I also saw Tanya Burr recommend the Elemis Balancing Lavender toner, and for some reason I had been really struggling to find a toner! There seems to be a lot of cleansers but not as many toners around.

So, I am still re-doing my skin care challenge but have made some amendments. I am going to try this new routine for the next 2 weeks and let you know my progress.

I go through weird stages with my skincare routine, sometimes I can't be bothered and just use face wipes (which I have sworn I will never ever do again!!!!) and other times I have tried high end products. I would say I have normal/combination skin. I have never had severe acne, but I have suffered with spots since my teens and STILL get them and I am 30!!!! I say the main brands I have tried are Clinque, Clarins and Simple.....but I have yet found a routine I am 100% happy with.

So, as I have been really into beauty blogs & vlogs for almost 2 years, I have learnt so much about make up, and now more recently I have been watching videos and reading about skincare, I feel I have educated myself and come to the conclusion that I need to sort out my skin care pronto! As in the long run my skin is going to be better and I will stop getting horrible breakouts. Sometimes they are so bad I have to get anti biotics from the doctors. Also a few years ago, I had such a bad and persistant breakout on my forehead, I had to get a fringe!!!! Bad times.

I don't want to over do it which is why I am for example going to do Monday Alpha H Liquid Gold, Tuesday Clarisonic and then Wednesday use normal cleansing and repeat, as you don't want to over exfoliate your skin! That's why above I have "every other evening" for some of the products. The only thing I am debating is the Soap & Glory serum as I am thinking the Estee Lauder Night Repair Serum and I also have a Clarins sample!! But Estee Lauder is sooooooo expensive! Going to try and get a sample first I think.

I will let you know how I get on! Do you use any of the above? What do you think?

Sunday, 21 October 2012

I have been meaning to review this for some time but not had chance! There was a lot of talk online about the Dior highlighting powers, mainly the Ambre Diamond. Because I have Mac Soft & Gentle, I thought it would be a waste, which it why I went for the Rose Diamond - a lovely pink highlighting powder.

The packaging with Dior as always is gorgeous! It does come with a velvet pouch, but I find it gets mucky in my make up bag :0(

The thing I like about is there are 4 colours in the powder - so you have the option of mixing them all altogether or just using one of the colours. For this reason I would say the Ambre Diamond is good if you don't have a similar highlighter like me - because you can use these also on your brow bone & tear duct.

For applying this, I find my Real Techniques Stippling brush is best, as I find highlighters work when pressed into the skin rather than brushed.

I do love this, however I do prefer a more bronze toned highlighter, so I tend to use my Mac one more, but this one is great for nights out, and also looks fab if you have a tan! When I am a bit pale, it can look too bright on me - fair skinned gals note! I would also say these are similar to the Bobbi Brown Shimmer bricks.

Friday, 19 October 2012

This week I am wearing Rimmel Lycra Pro in Blue Vogue. Nude and Navy nails are in this winter and I love this colour. I actually picked it up last year in a hurry thinking it was purple! But it is indeed blue, and I am now glad I picked it up by mistake!!

The Rimmel Lycra Pro line is really good quality and you can tell it is different too their other polishes. I have a few other colours from this line.

Thursday, 18 October 2012

I am normally fussy with my foundation and tend to repurchase the same brand/product. However, after getting into beauty blogs and You Tube videos over the past 1-2 years, I have I guess self educated myself and know a lot more about foundation. And a big thing for me is light, medium or full coverage, which I didn't really get before!

So my dilemma was, I really wanted to get Estee Lauder Doublewear foundation for the winter, being a full coverage and better for the colder months. Plus sometimes I work away and travel, so a long lasting foundation would definitely be a good idea for me to have. But.....I then started reading blogs about the Yves Sant Laurent foundation and had a dilemma!!! I had been using Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser recently, so it was definitely time to purchase a foundation for winter....... but which one!!??

So, I decided the best thing to do was get a sample of each, try for a month and see which one I liked. But...... because they are so different I decided to get both ha! So I have bought the Yves Saint Laurent one this month, and will be getting Doublewear next month, I figured it isn't too cold right now, so I can wait ha!

The packing is beautiful and mirrors the classic Touche Eclat highlighter. It is a concern travelling but it is glass, but you can always get round that with travel bottles! But it does look beautiful on the make up table!

The reason I wanted this as well as Doublewear, is I just love the radiance it give your skin. I think this is even more important when you have fairer skin. My friends who have darker skin tell me they don't bother wearing anything on their face on a work day, I could NEVER do that! I would look dead ha ha! Definitely need a bit of colour in your face, well I do anyway.

I know some bloggers have said this doesn't last all day, but I generally don't have this problem with any foundation I use. I do have combination skin, so I am not sure if it's a different story if you have oily skin.

This is a beautiful foundation and I can't really compare it to Doublewear which has been the UK best seller for sometime, but if you love the Touche Eclat pen, you will definitely like this.

Monday, 15 October 2012

Today I am showing you my beautiful Chanel Illusion D'Ombre eyeshadows. I have never been into Chanel until I started blogging, so I blame the blogging world for this habit I have seem to have developed :0)

Anyway, when I got these, I did have the intention of getting just 1, but ended up getting 3 (sshhhh don't tell hubby!!!). but to be honest they are such fantastic quality and I know they will last me for ages so are worth it.

The 3 colours I got were Emerveille (82) which is a lovely neutral bronze shade, Illusoire (83) which I would describe as a dark purple shade and Epatant (84) which is a beautiful khaki shade..

It's up to you how you apply them. You can use your fingers, but I do really think the brush that comes with these is really good for spreading the cream formula evenly across the eye

I love all these, but if you are new to these products I would say to start off with Emerville, because this is a nice neutral shade that you can dress up or down for day or night. I do wear during the day, but recently I went out and put one of the new Mac pressed pigments over it and it looked amazing!

I love Epatant and Illusoire as well, but I would say these are definitely night time, going out shades. They are really pigmented which is great and they don't budge all night! I also find them really versatile to use with other products too, I recently went out and wore Naked Lunch by Mac under it and blended it in from the outer corner which looked really pretty and not too harsh, with it being a a darker colour.

I would recommend these to anyone they are amazing! A cheaper alternative would be Maybelline Colour Tattoo, but I definitely think Chanel are worth the money.

Saturday, 13 October 2012

This week I am wearing Lead by Topshop. The picture does not do this polish justice, it looks black, but I can assure you it's a really dark purple with a green undertone. It depends which way the light is shining on it basically! I got this last week and thought it would be an awesome shade for winter.

I really think Topshop have upped their game in regards to nail polish. I have not seen this colour with any other brand. I also saw they had a glitter polish which looked extremely similar to the OPI muppets glitter polish, which is great as OPI is pretty impossible to get where I live!

What do you think of this weeks polish? Do you like the Topshop range? If so what colour would you recommend?

Friday, 12 October 2012

I am reviewing this Chanel bronzer today. I am an avid Pixiwoo follower (check our their You Tube channel here, http://www.youtube.com/user/pixiwoo if you have been under a rock and don't know what I am talking about!). Nic always uses their bronzer, but it always looked a bit scary to me! So I never tried it.

However, I was still on my mission to find the perfect bronzer. The last one I used was Mac Mineralize Skinfinish in Medium Deep and I talked about in my Everday Make Up blog. I did like this, but I think as the weather got colder and my tan from my Ibiza holiday in May faded, it started to look orange. And the hubby told me this so it must have been noticeable!!! So, I did read some of my fellow bloggers reviews on this, and kept reading again and again, it was good for fair skin. I had some points on my Debhanams Beauty Card (always comes in handy!) so decided to take the plunge.

And guess what, I really REALLY like it! I did struggle applying it to start with, but found through trial and error that a kabuki brush is best to apply this with. I did try the Real Techniques Contour Brush, but feel like the kabuki brush is just better to apply.

I know on the photo it does look a bit orange!! But this is just a swatch! I guarantee once blended into your foundation, you just get a lovely, natural glow.

Sunday, 7 October 2012

This weekend I wore Nails Inc Montrose Place. This is a really bright metallic pink, I have to confess I forgot about this one when I bought Nails Inc Notting Hill Gate in the summer as I normally prefer matte colours, but I really like this one and it was perfect for a night out in Liverpool.

Then on my ring figure, I added Topshop Nails in Ice Cruse for a bit of sparkle!

Saturday, 6 October 2012

Check out what I got today! It was 3 for 2 in Boots, and I already wanted to get the Real Techniques 4 pack brush set, then I noticed the new Bourjois eyelashes which I read about online a couple of days ago

They aren't like any of my Mac or Eyelure lashes and I just thought they were really pretty!!

Then this little gadget caught my eye! Now, it's a bit of a lie, because they are not tweezers at all, definitely just an eyelash applicator, but I think they are ace!

I have used tweezers to apply false lashes for such a long time, but I just think this little gadget is going to be great for those of you who find applying lashes really tricky!! Plus I got them for free, so thought I would give them a go!

It is really easy to use, and you have a little more control of the lashes! And because there's a rubber tip on the end, there's also less chance of poking yourself in the eye!

Don't get me wrong, a pair of tweezers will do, but I would definitely say this would be great for those of you just starting to experiment with false lashes, due to the added control you get.

Sunday, 2 September 2012

Not done one of these posts for so long! Only because my friend has just qualified in doing nails so I have had a gel French manicure for the past month or so, but I am currently giving them a break.

I have always seen a lot of fellow You Tubers and bloggers talk about Essie but it wasn't available near where I live. I went into Boots a few weeks ago and found it woop!

They are £7.99 which I think it quiet reasonable and I LOVE them! I will definetly be getting some more colours! The quality is brilliant and I know I always wear a top coat anyway but this seems to chip less than my Nails Inc ones. This is a lovely pinky purple colour called Splash Of Grendaine.

Sunday, 29 July 2012

Today I wanted to show you what is currently in my everyday make up bag :0)

As it's summer (well, British summer, meaning loads of rain and cloud!) I am currently wearing Estee Lauder BB cream. I love the Estee Lauder Daywear Sheertint for when I am on holiday or when I don't want to wear a lot of make up so I was very excited when they brought out the BB cream. I love this one as it' not too heavy and not too light - perfect for the summer months.

I then use the classic Yves Saint Laurent Touch Eclat for under my eyes. I sometimes use Bobbi Brown Corrector in Light Bisque as well. For when I have blemishes, I use Mac Studio Sculpt Conceler. I struggle with concelers because I have dry skin, but this one is a good enough coverage that doesn't dry out my skin.

I then use a little bit of bronzer to contour my face and just give me a bit of colour. At the moment I am loving Mac Mineralize Skin Finish Natural in Medium Deep. I used to think you had to apply bronzer ALL over your face as some really bad old photos of me prove ha! But now I apply it in a "3" motion on each side of my face - where the sun would hit your face. So this is my temples, cheeks and jaw line.

For blusher I am using Smashbox O-Glow. This is a clear gel that changes colour when you rub it in, which is meant to use your skin tone. I think this is perfect for during the day as it's really light but just gives you enough colour.

I tend to change up what I use on my eyes day to day. I am loving Stay Don't Stray by Benefit. I think I prefer this to Urban Decay Primer Potion just because for me I think it makes the shadows I use last longer.

I then use Mac Paintpots in Painterly for matte shadows and Base Study for shimmer shadows, although some days I do wear these alone. They last for ages as well so I think they are brilliant!

I also have my Mac eyeshadow quad which has (from top left clockwise) Naked Lunch, Omega, All That Glitters and Quarry. All these colours work well together and are the ones I wear the most. 2 other Mac shadows I sometimes use are Wedge and Brule.

I then use Stila Stay All Day Liquid Eyeliner. As you can see it's well loved as all the writing has come off the pen! I used cake/gel eyeliners for a long time but this pen is definitely the best one I have used. I draw a really thin line for during the day, but at night it's really good for thick, flick lines as well, love it! Finally on the eyes, I use a tiny bit of Mac Kohl Pencil in Smoulder on 3/4 of the water line, so it's not as harsh.

And my favourite mascara EVER, is They're Real by Benefit. I love this mascara, I am really lucky to have long lashes anyway, but a lot of people have asked me if I have false lashes on when I wear this, so it must work!

Then finally, the lips. I swap between these 2, Mac Tinted Lip Conditioner in Fuchsia Fix and Clairns Lip Perfecter in Apricot Shimmer. Both are lovely but I probably wear the Mac one more, just as I work in an air conditioned office so my lips get really dry.

Saturday, 28 July 2012

I am off out tonight and am tinting my eyebrows, which I thought was the perfect opportunity to share with you how I do it.

I tend not to go to salons to get my eyebrows tinted - mainly because it fades quickly but also because you can do it yourself at home for a lot cheaper!

As with any dye, make sure you do a skin sensitivity test 24 hours before tinting you brows/lashes.

Here is what you will need:

I am currently using a Coloursport 30 day mascara, eyelash & eyebrow kit in dark brown, you can get this in Boots for £8.25. I used to use the Eyelure one, but every Boots I have been too does not have it in Dark Brown anymore, so I think it's discontinued :-(

You also need Vaseline, cotton buds and some cotton pads. The Vaseline is to stop you dying the skin around your eyebrows (never a good look!). Just put a small amount on the cotton bud, and make sure this is spread all around your eyebrow.

Once this is done, you need to make up your tint. On the instructions, it states for your eyebrows, you need 2cm of the cream and 8 drops of the developer liquid. You mix it together in the tray that comes in the box.

Now, this is one of the reasons I prefer the Eyelure kit, it that it comes with a mascara wand to put the tint on. With the Coloursport once, you get a kind of bendy stick? I personally find this hard to use, so would advise getting a clean mascara wand.

You then need to leave on for 10 minutes. Once this is done, simply get one of the cotton wool pads and soak it in warm water, then wipe off the tint done!